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Beastmen
=Beastmen= The Beastmen are a race of particularly large feral humanoids native to the Augustgradian desert - a land which is completely unforgiving and has both scarce resources and an abundance of dangerous predators. The Beastmen managed to not only survive in their homeland, but in fact thrive there. Extensively employed by the Rakshasa prior to the Great Desert War, the Beastmen have since begun slowly appearing more and more outside of the desert, showing up in increasing numbers in and around Fontraile. The Beastmen have a complicated relationship with their neighbors. Many of the larger clans are allied with the Augustgradian government, and willingly coexist with the neighboring Human and Naga lands; others reject this and resent the involvement of the Humans and Naga, with several being outright hostile. Whilst the Augustgradian government works to suppress the clans that actively raid and harass the local populace, internecine warfare between rival Beastman clans remains rampant. 'Appearance' Resembling humanoid jackals of considerable size, Beastmen are some of the largest humanoids encountered on the entire continent - most stand about 9 feet tall and can weigh over 800 pounds - in full armor, adult males can weigh half a ton or more. they are covered in thick fur, with manes growing down the head and neck. Males and females alike tend to wear their hair long. Females are a bit smaller and more lithe, but just as tall. Their fur tends to range in color from bluish, to black, to brown. Unlike some related species, such as the Rakshasa or Gnolls, Beastmen have plantigrade feet, an adaptation that has arisen from years of exposure to the desert, as this helps them avoid sinking in the sand. Eye coloration tends to be green, yellow, or orange, though colors of blue, gray, or brown are not unheard of. Minor permutations amongst various clans are common; one well-known clan is smaller in size but more agile than the other beastman tribes, whilst another is known for being quite a bit bigger than common Beastmen. 'Noteworthy Attributes ' Beastmen adapted well to a climate that most other species could not, and natural selection has had a huge role in their development. Beastmen have dense fur and thick hides, for better protection against the desert's heat and against cuts and scrapes - Beastmen are extraordinarily tough. Of particular note, Beastmen have thickly-fortified bones and well-protected organs. Due to their size, mass, and sheer balls-out toughness, they are incredibly resistant to most common toxins and extreme heat and cold. Despite their size, Beastmen can survive on comparatively little water, though as a side effect, they require notably more food than other species. Owing to their strength, size, and durability, Beastmen make exceptional warriors, though they find it difficult to make use of most conventional firearms due to their sheer size. Their sheer toughness allows them to consume food and drink other species would find unpleasant or even dangerous; a preferred Beastman alcohol, a beverage often known as Frenzywater, is as caustic as paint thinner and has been known to hospitalize members of other races that attempt to drink it. Due to their shatteringly high endurance, it comes as no surprise that they have lengthy lifespans; Beastmen have been known to live nearly 400 years, though most lose their lives to violence far sooner than this. As appropriate for their race, female Beastmen undergo periods of heat roughly twice per year, for 2 months at a stretch. Pregnant females are active up until the final 2 or so weeks weeks of pregnancy (which for Beastmen, lasts about 10 months), before deferring to the assistance and protection of elder females within the clan - males are expressly forbidden from entering the matrons' tents during this time. Extremely tough, female Beastmen can handle all but the most trying of pregnancies with relative ease and are usually recovered within a few weeks afterwards. Multiple births are relatively common. Genetically, Beastmen are directly compatible with a few other races; most notably Gnolls and Rakshasa, with offspring tending to be of their father's species (but not always). Successful inter-breedings with other races have occured (Humans specifically), but this is far, far rarer; the result of such pairings are so-called "half-beasts" - individuals mostly human but with several tell-tale signs of their Beastman heritage, including larger-than-normal size. Half-beasts are frequently sterile; the ones that are not are only able to successfully breed with humans, Beastmen, or other Half-beasts. Beastmen practice an ancient form of Shamanistic magic that dates back to the Great Desert War and has largely fallen out of favor elsewhere. Distrustful of more conventional forms of sorcery (especially demonic magic) as the tools of their ancient enemies, the Rakshasa, the Beastmen rely upon magic drawn from the natural world and its elements. Whilst generally not as potent as the magicks favored by more organized mage orders (such as Miranda's Task Mages or De Midian's Necromancers), these spells are nonetheless quite effective and often a bit more versatile than their counterparts. Origin The Beastmen as a whole are believed to be an evolutionary off-shoot of Gnolls, one well-adapted for survival in the desert. As a primitive culture, the Beastmen of Augustgrad moved about the desert in large, seminomadic clans - they were frequently on the move due to the nigh-constant presence of the Rakasha, which ruled most of Augustgrad at the time. The desert itself was a barren region with little usable resources, and hence was left to the Beastmen. The Naga, in much the same way, were driven into the ruins and caverns of the desert, though the Rakshasa would frequently lead raiding parties into the deserts and villages of Augustgrad to acquire slaves, or to indulge themselves at the "lesser races'" expense. Unable to move beyond their constant infighting, the clans of Augustgrad constantly fought for control of the ancestral lands of the desert. It goes without saying that the conflict borne of this - the Great Desert War - is an integral piece of Beastman culture. Things began to change when the Augustgradian government - still in its infancy, arose to challenge the Rakshasa, having seen through their true nature. The humans of the Augustgradian desert brought with them technical advances that the Rakshasa were unprepared for - metal armor, gunpowder weapons, and steel. With the Rakshasa suffering their first real losses, the Augustgradian government outstretched its arms to the displaced residents of Augustgrad - the Beastman clans and Naga creches long-since-victimized by the Rakshasa - who were all-too-willing to join in taking down a force that had kept them oppressed for generations. Though the Beastmen and Naga distrusted both the Humans and one another, it was apparent to all that only by working together would they be able to truly face the threat. The conflict was long and bloody, but eventually the Rakshasa were overthrown. The Beastmen and Naga of the desert would hunt them nearly to the last, exacting a staggering toll for the cruelty and horrors the Rakshasa forced upon them. With the Rakshasa defeated, the newly-formed Augustgradian government began a program of unified defense with the various races of the desert. Understanding that the only way to maintain a nation of Augustgrad's size, demographics, and dimensions was to work together, the Beastman clans and Naga Suzerainty joined the Augustgradian government. Not all of the clans, however, would join - a great many of them, pushed to the fringes of society by the war and its aftermath, refused to join with the government. They would go on to become raiders and marauders at the very edges of Augustgrad, maintaining a pattern of ongoing warfare with the clans that did join the Augustgradian government, to this very day. 'Culture ' Beastman society has always been characterized by its harshness. Natural selection has played a big part in conditioning the Beastmen's mental state, much as it has their physiology. As a result, Beastmen are generally blunt and unsympathetic towards outsiders. As they are so clan-focused, all Beastmen, regardless of gender or station, are expected to pull their own weight for the clan in some way or another, and weakness is considered a grave liability in an environment as deadly as Augustgrad's. Different clans have different attitudes; the Gray Moon Clan, under Ark, is one of the more temperate and even-handed clans, whereas the Red Spires cling viciously to their original, spartan beliefs valued back during the days of the Great Desert War. Regardless of Clan affiliation, the Beastmen prize honor over all other things in life - firstly, to bring honor to their clans, and secondly to bring honor to the self and establish their sense of self-worth as an individual. To a Beastman, Hospitality is one of the greatest honors that can be bestowed - one reason that the Beastmen so readily became allies of the Augustgradian government was that the government gladly offered them assistance and aid regardless to the cost to themselves. Though it varies heavily based on clan (a few of the renegade clans are quite a bit more regressive), most Beastman clans do not display any outward discrimination between genders - women are able to pursue the same career choices as men, rise to positions of power, and can be expected to answer the call to battle just as men are. Strength (both physical and magical), courage, initiative, intelligence, and independence are all highly-prized traits in all Beastmen. Traditionally, children are seen not only as children of their parents, but of their clan, and are usually raised more communally. Beastman Shamans believe in Ancestor Worship - that Beastmen who have died live on and watch over the living from the beyond, guiding the fate of their successors. This factors into several of the most important rituals that take place during a Beastman's life, including the Ritual of Passage (for when a Beastman comes of age), the Ritual of Taking (for when a Beastman marries), and the Ritual of Passing (for when a Beastman dies). The ritual of passage is a personal trial that varies upon the individual - Beastmen of a martial bend frequently undertake trials by combat, and though the combat itself is non-lethal, any scars they suffer are decidedly real and typically worn with considerable pride. The Ritual of Taking (which derives its name from the earlier days, when it would quite literally mean siezing a mate from another clan) is the Beastman equivalent of marriage - Beastmen are urged to look outside the clan for potential mates, to make the clan that much stronger. The Ritual of Passing is a somber event, wherein the eldest clan Shaman calls upon the spirits of the Beastmen's departed ancestors to watch over the spirits of the recently deceased.